A man fell off a cliff, but managed to grab a tree limb on the way down. The

following conversation ensued:

"Is anyone up there?"

"I am here. I am the Lord. Do you believe me?"

"Yes, Lord, I believe. I really believe, but I can't hang on much longer."

"That's all right, if you really believe you have nothing to worry about. I will

save you. Just let go of the branch."

A moment of pause, then: "Is anyone else up there?"

This morning's message, "Paul Makes the Call!" is the third in our series on "Gleanings from

Galatians." In it, we will examine Galatians 2:11-21 to answer the question of the ages: How

can a man maintain right standing with God?

In this passage, Paul describes a confrontation he had with Peter. Peter had gone to visit the church in Antioch and found Jewish and Gentile Christians there living and eating together in violation of Jewish dietary customs. For a time, Peter ate with them as well, but when some influential Jews from Jerusalem arrived, he bowed to their pressure and segregated himself from the Gentiles. Others, including Barnabas, followed his lead.

There was a tightrope walker, who did incredible aerial feats.

All over Paris, he would do tightrope acts at tremendously scary

heights. Then he had succeeding acts; he would do it

blindfolded, then he would go across the tightrope, blindfolded,

pushing a wheelbarrow.

An American promoter read about this in the papers and

wrote a letter to the tightrope walker, saying, "Tightrope, I don't

believe you can do it, but I'm willing to make you an offer.

For a very substantial sum of money, besides all your

transportation fees, I would like to challenge you to do

your act over Niagara Falls."

Now, Tightrope wrote back, "Sir, although I've never

been to America and seen the Falls, I'd love to come."

Well, after a lot of promotion and setting the whole thing up,

many people came to see the event. Tightrope was to

start on the Canadian side and come to the American side.

Drums roll, and he comes across the rope which is suspended

over the treacherous part of the falls -- blindfolded!! And he makes

it across easily. The crowds go wild, and he comes to the promoter

and says, "Well, Mr. Promoter, now do you believe I can do it?"

"Well of course I do. I mean, I just saw you do it." "No," said

Tightrope, "do you really believe I can do it?" "Well of course

I do, you just did it." "No, no, no," said Tightrope, "do you

believe I can do it?" "Yes," said Mr. Promoter, "I believe you

can do it." "Good," said Tightrope, "then you get in the wheel

barrow."

Paul confronted Peter publicly, charging him with hypocrisy for giving in to pressure from Jewish "watchdogs" even though he knew that God did not expect Gentiles to observe Jewish ceremonial laws. Furthermore, Peter had a large circle of influence; this didn't make him more important than anyone else, but it did mean that his actions bore more weight because they influenced so many more people.

At the heart of Paul's concern for Peter's defection was "the truth of the gospel" (verse 14). Peter's conduct implied that some Christians were superior to others because of their heritage; this

undermined the truth that all who believe in Christ are accepted fully and equally because of His

death on the cross.

Paul defends his position and makes the call that faith is the only way for man to bridge the gap between himself and his Creator by discussing the three ways that men have tried to get right with God: through works (what man does for God), through faith (what God does for man), and through a combination of the two.

There once was this turn able bridge which spanned a large river. During

most of the day, the bridge sat parallel with the tracks, allowing ships to pass

freely on both sides. At certain times each day a train would come along, and

the bridge would be turned sideways across the river allowing the trains to

cross. A switchman sat in a small shack on one side of the river where he

operated the controls to turn the bridge and lock it into place as the train

crossed. One day as the switchman was waiting for the last train of the day to

come, he looked of into the distance through the dimming twilight and caught

sight of the train's light , he stepped to the controls and waited until the train

was within prescribed distance when he was to turn the bridge into position.

To his horror, he found that the locking control didn't work. If the bridge was

not locked into position, securely, it would wobble back and forth at the ends

when the train came onto it. This would cause the train to jump the track and

go crashing into the river. It was a passenger train with many people aboard.

He left the bridge turned across the river, and he hurried across the bridge to

the other side where there was a lever he could use to operate the lock

manually.

He could hear the rumble of the train now. He took hold of the lever and

leaned backward to apply pressure to keep the mechanism locked. Many

lives depended on this man's strength. Then, coming across the bridge from

the direction of his control shack he heard a sound that made his blood run

cold, "Daddy, where are you?" His four year old son was crossing the

bridge to look for him. His first impulse was to cry out to the child, "RUN

RUN" but the train was too close, and his tiny legs would never make it

across the bridge in time. The man almost lifted the lever to run and snatch up

his son , and carry him to safety, but he realized he could not get back to the

lever in time. Either people on the train or his son must die.

He took only a moment to make his decision. The train sped safely and swiftly

on it's way, and no one aboard was aware of the tiny, broken body thrown

mercilessly into the river by the rushing train, nor were they aware of the pitiful

figure of a sobbing man still clinging tightly to the lever long after the train had

passed. They didn't see him walking home more slowly than he had ever

walked, to tell his wife how he had sacrificed her son.

Now if you can comprehend the feeling that which went through this man's

heart you can understand the feeling of our heavenly Father when He

sacrificed His Son to bridge the gap between us and eternal life.

People with a works theology believe that if they are good people -- if they love their families, work hard, do their civic duty, and don't steal anything big or murder anyone -- they'll pass the test and make it to heaven. People with a faith theology understand that they violate God's law all the time, but because Jesus has paid the price as a sinless substitute, they have been pardoned, acquitted, and reinstated as God's children. A faith + works theology is a subtle mixture of the two. It accepts the premise that we are restored to relationship with God by faith alone, but it argues that we maintain that right standing only by our obedience to the law, however that law may be defined.

The problem with this position is that it negates God's love and Christ's death. The answer to the question of the ages is that God is love, and He took the initiative in dying for us so that we could be joined with Him in spite of our sin. Jesus didn't die so that man could, by working real hard, earn his way to God. He died so that all we need to do is believe. When I believe, I am supernaturally joined to Christ, my sinful nature that was at enmity with God dies, and I become a new creation. In my heart of hearts, I no longer want to sin. I may still struggle with temptation, but I am drawn even more to be more like the One who loves me.

One night a house caught fire and a young boy was forced to flee

to the roof. The father stood on the ground below with

outstretched arms, calling to his son, "Jump! I'll catch you."

He knew the boy had to jump to save his life. All the boy could

see, however, was flame, smoke, and blackness. As can be

imagined, he was afraid to leave the roof. His father kept

yelling: "Jump! I will catch you." But the boy protested,

"Daddy, I can't see you." The father replied, "But I can see you

and that's all that matters."